Airplane Friends

The plane took off six minutes after the listed time. I looked around, taking in my companions for this 4hr 32min journey. It was a small aircraft, with only 4 seats per row, a single A and then BCD squished together. I was in 32A, so I did not bother turning his head, but gazed at the back of everyone's head in front me. Would landing six minutes late affect anyone here? Would six minutes make the difference between meeting someone that would change their world? my world?

Doubtful. But there was no harm in considering it. Take for instance the family in row 25. Two kids ran up and down the aisle, tripping over people's feet, hiding in the bathroom. Their dad slowly dozed off to sleep, letting his imagination run as he rocked back and forth to the tune of the plane, leaving their mom to care for their children. This family was coming back from a vacation, slightly tanned features spotted their skin and they all exuded a sunny warmth. They would not care if the plane arrived in Boston an hour late, they were absorbed in their own world, glowing.

I glanced across from me, staring at the man and woman sitting in 32B and 32C. They obviously had no relation. They were both absorbed in their own world, the man in 32B furiously writing as he checked his watch while the woman in 32C was caught in her own world, slowly tapping the Kindle as she flipped from page to page. Arriving late would do them both no good, giving both of them extra time in their own fantasy, unaware of anything around them.

What if they started talking? Like strangers sometimes do. Assume that the man is writing a report. And imagine that he had finished it early. Would the six minutes matter?